What do you play for? A glimpse into the mind of a 2013-14 Lakers fan

When you think of Kobe Bryant, you think of heart, determination and the will to win. Nobody can or will ever question the integrity or the pure love of the game of the man and that is why he is one of the greatest players in NBA history. But even for legends, father time catches up to them eventually. Over the last year Kobe has suffered an Achilles injury that sidelined him for eight months only to return to the court for all of six games and fracture his knee. He did continue to play on the fractured knee and well I might add, leading the Lakers to a victory. But Kobe isn’t the only aspect of the Los Angeles Lakers that is hurting.

After an impressive 2012 offseason where the Lakers formed a team of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the team struggled mightily mainly with injuries and never found a way to get it “clicking”. Howard would eventually leave Los Angeles for Houston, leaving the Lakers empty with an aging roster. Coming into the 2013 season, the Lakers weren’t projected to do anything and so far they have lived up to that hype or lack of it. Even with some exciting wins and close games, fans have become restless watching the team they love become mediocre. With a seemingly endless supply of nagging injuries, the 2013 season seems like a lost one at this point.

If Kobe stays out and the Lakers continue on the path they’re on, they might have a chance to draft a player like Jabari Parker. By TonyTheTiger (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

The Solution:

I have never been one to condone “tanking” because I believe that it isn’t fair to do and makes for a bad impression on a franchise, but in some cases, I can understand why teams would do it. After coming back from the Achilles injury, Kobe proved that he could still do his normal “Kobe” things on the court but after suffering another injury, I believe that he should just sit out the rest of the season. As a fan of basketball, this hurts me to say because of the kind of player he is but I think it is the best thing for him and the Lakers. Lets be honest, the Lakers aren’t coming close to winning a championship this season, which is the goal for Kobe and the Lakers. If they are lucky, the Lakers would make the playoffs and get bounced out in the first round again. For some teams around the league that is alright because it means they are at least in the conversation. For the Lakers, though that kind of situation is unacceptable. The worst possible place to be in NBA standings is being a mid-level team, and that is what the Lakers are at the moment.

The Lakers should have Kobe sit out the rest of the season so that he can take time and recover fully from both his injuries and rejuvenate his 35 year old body back into amazing shape for the new season next year. He only has a certain amount of playing time left so why come back and risk possible injury again during a season that is meaningless in this ultimate goal. Also, the Lakers finally have a first round draft pick this season in what is considered maybe the deepest draft since the LeBron draft back in 2003. Get a really good draft pick and take a very young good player to help the team for years to come while matching that with all the cap space that the Lakers will have in the offseason, it seems like a great plan.

Kobe has always been a very prideful player, never wanting to give an inch or relax for a second. But for once in his career, he should sit back and relax as he prepares for the challenges that will face him in his final years in the NBA, trying to get that coveted sixth ring.